Takashi Murakami

Internationally prolific contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, born in Tokyo in the 1960s, coined the phrase ‘superflat’; a term which refers to blurring the lines between high and low art by incorporating the motifs of Japanese artistic tradition and post-war Japanese culture and society.

Murakami’s work encompasses a variety of mediums which include painting, sculpture, animation, installation, prints, posters and fashion. His use of bright colours and flat, glossy surfaces earned him a solo exhibition at The Palace of Versailles in France, where he occupied 15 rooms in the palace’s Hall of Mirrors and the apartments of the King and Queen.

His continuous theme is commentary on how the Japanese people believe that art and commerce go hand in hand, as opposed to Western society’s rigid and pretentious hierarchy of ‘high art’ which seems to take priority in the art world. The juxtaposition of his work, which has been labeled as commercialism, against the traditional rococo palace in which he displayed his work, reiterates this endless theme.

He has collaborated with Louis Vuitton and has worked with musician Kanye West on his ‘Graduation’ album cover, a project that has earned Murakami widespread fame and respect from the art community.